Death toll in Afghanistan bombing increases to 80 killed, 300 wounded
At least 80 people were killed and more than 300 others wounded in the car bomb attack Wednesday in a high-security zone in Kabul near the presidential palace, where several embassies and government buildings are located, according to the latest official data released by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health.
Ministry spokesman Ismail Kawusi confirmed the figures to EFE .
Another ministry representative Wahidullah Majroh said earlier that 320 people had been wounded in the explosion, which occurred around 8.25am local time (3.55am GMT) in police district 10, near Zanbaq Square in the diplomatic area of Kabul.
Kabul police spokesperson Basir Mujahid told EFE that preliminary investigations indicated that the vehicle, a small sewage truck, was laden with explosives and detonated in a busy area.
While Mujahid said that the target is still unclear, the incident occurred near the German embassy.
Some 30 vehicles nearby suffered the impact of the blast, according to police sources.
The NATO spokesperson in Kabul, Capt. William K. Salvin, tweeted that the attack occurred near the German embassy and that the situation is being assessed.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The powerful explosion, which could be heard across different parts of the city, took place in the holy month of Ramadan.
Last week, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urged all insurgent groups to respect the holy month and refrain from violence.
However, on Sunday, the first day of Ramadan, the Taliban carried out a car bomb blast at a bus stop in Khost, eastern Afghanistan, that left 13 dead and eight wounded, mostly soldiers.
The Afghan government has been losing ground to the Taliban and other insurgent groups since the end of NATO's military mission, and now controls barely 57 percent of the country, according to data from Washington.